House Oks Bill To Purchase 136,000 Acres For Big Cypress

WASHINGTON -- Without a single objection, the U.S. House passed a bill Monday to allow the federal government to acquire 136,000 acres of the Everglades to add to Big Cypress National Preserve.

``Make no mistake about it, this area is vital for protecting the water supply for 4 1/2 million South Floridians,`` remarked the bill`s sponsor, Rep. Tom Lewis, R-North Palm Beach.

The House voice vote was a significant step along a still lengthy path toward placing the Everglades land under federal protection.

A companion bill has yet to emerge from the committee level in the Senate. And even if both houses approve the acquisition, Congress must still come up with a separate appropriations bill to carve out some $46 million from the Interior Department`s budget to buy the land.

Yet the authorization bill passed so easily through the House, helped by bipartisan support from the Florida delegation, that Lewis was confident Congress would provide final approval by the end of this year`s session.

The bill that passed Monday would give the government authority to acquire the 136,000 acres either through a purchase plan in conjunction with the state or through a land swap.

The Interior Department opposes the purchase plan as being too costly and has begun negotiating a land swap involving an Indian school site in Arizona. The Arizona congressional delegation firmly opposes the swap, however, making the purchase option more likely.